If police are beaten trying to stop extortion, where will public go

There is nothing new to add about the parlous state of law and order in Bangladesh. Since the July mass uprising the country has become a realm of terror. Theft, robbery, snatching, rape, murder and extortion have been on the rise. Fear of snatchers means that even in broad daylight people in Dhaka are reluctant to go out alone. The situation in the rural and suburban areas has deteriorated even more. It is said that villagers return home at dusk and bolt their doors. There have even been incidents in which victims were stripped of their clothes when nothing of value was found.

Amid this, news published on 4 October (Saturday) reported that in Narsingdi, while extorting money from vehicles, a gang snatched two people from police custody and attacked the Additional Superintendent of Police. The incident occurred at around 11am on Saturday at the corner near Arshinagar rail crossing in Narsingdi municipality. The injured Additional Superintendent of Police for Narsingdi Sadar Circle, Mohammad Anwar Hossain, was given first aid and sent to the Central Police Hospital in Rajarbagh, Dhaka.

Eyewitnesses and local sources say that at about 11am at Arshinagar corner police detained two people while extortion money was being collected from various vehicles, including CNG-powered and battery-powered auto-rickshaws. A group of people attacked to snatch the two detainees from the police. At that time the Additional Superintendent of Police Mohammad Anwar Hossain, who was at the scene, was assaulted.

This incident readily indicates how precarious the country’s law-and-order situation has become. The police can no longer control law and order. When they try to prevent wrongdoing, the police themselves are becoming victims of attacks by criminals. In truth, ever since the mass uprising the police have been rendered effectively impotent. The miscreants are exploiting that opportunity. If this continues, it will not bode well for the country. The administration must identify the culprits and bring them to justice. When asked about the attack, Narsingdi’s Superintendent of Police Md. Menhazul Alam told Prothom Alo that legal action would be taken in the matter. We will soon seek details of what legal measures will be taken. If the government does not take this incident seriously and pursue justice, the law-and-order situation in Bangladesh will rapidly deteriorate further.

Our question to the government is this: if the police are beaten while trying to stop extortion, where will the public go? Without firm punishment, such criminals will be further emboldened and ordinary people will remain at their mercy.